Hi Shalor, I'm posting edits made by this student here (she is in China and cannot access Wikipedia herself). Could you look these over to see if it's okay to publish them? Thank you! ErinS
I am pasting the original article (or as it currently is) here, and will then edit it so you can see the changes in the history. I will do copyedits before publishing if the content looks good.
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Abortion in China is legal and is a government service available on request for women.[1] In theory this does not apply to sex-selective abortion, although this remains the basis for some women's requests. In addition to virtually universal access to contraception, abortion was a common way for China to contain its population in accordance with its now-defunct one-child policy,[2] which was removed in 2015.
History
editAbortion in Chinese historical records began in the Han Dynasty, and formed three abortion techniques. After the Tang and Song Dynasties, due to the pressure of population growth, abortion became more and more popular in some areas, leading to the publicity and professionalization of abortion.[3]
In ancient China, the economy was small scale and self-sufficient and labor force was seen as a symbol of wealth. This resulted in people generally advocating to raise up more children and rulers taking measures to encourage childbearing.[4][unreliable source?] Because of the traditional concept of emphasizing fertility and anti-abortion, abortion technology was discriminated against and could not be improved.[3]
In the early 1950s, the Chinese government made abortion illegal other than when 1) the mother had a preexisting condition, such as tuberculosis or pernicious anemia, that would cause the pregnancy to be a threat to the mother's life; 2) when traditional Chinese medicine could not settle an overactive fetus and spontaneous abortion was expected; and 3) when the mother had already undergone two or more Caesarean sections.[5] Punishments were written into the law for those who received or performed illegal abortions.[5]
In 1954 and 1956, the law was extended to include women who had other pre-existing illnesses and disabilities, such as hypertension and epilepsy, as well as allowed women working in certain types of occupations to qualify.[5] Women who had already had four children and became pregnant four months after giving birth to their last child also qualified for an abortion.[5]
These restrictions were seen as the government's way of emphasizing the importance of population growth.[5] The scholar Nie Jing-Bao explains that these laws were relaxed in the late 1950s and early 1960s with the intent of reducing the number of deaths and lifelong injuries women sustained due to illegal abortions as well as serving as a form of population control when used in conjunction with birth control.[5]
Statistics
editExact statistics on the number of abortions performed annually are hard to come by as not all abortions are registered and Family Planning statistics are usually considered state secrets.[6] However, in 2008, there were an estimated 13 million abortions performed, and approximately 10 million abortion pills sold.[6] Induced abortions are more common in urban areas, where couples may only have one child.[7] In rural areas, it is permissible to have a second child if the first born is a girl and a "second-birth permit" is granted, costing approximately 4,000 yuan (US$600).[8] By the 70s, abortion was officially termed a "remedial measure" for realising China's goals of controlling the population.[9]
Sex-selective abortion
editThe practice of pre-natal sex determination and sex-selective abortions for non-medical reasons are considered illegal.[10][11] It is argued that sex-selective abortion continues to be one of the key factors in the notably imbalanced sex-ratio in China, as the imbalance cannot be explained solely by the underreporting of female births or by excess female infant mortality.[12] In 2001, 117 boys were born to every 100 girls.[12] These trends are explained by the persistence of a preference for sons in Chinese families.[13]
In modern China, due to the introduction of western human rights thoughts, people's attitudes towards abortion are becoming more and more moderate. The general consensus on a woman's right to abortion is that it is not controversial.[14][unreliable source?]
In 2005, the government began an Action Plan consisting of ten policies to normalize the sex ratio of newborns by 2010.[15] Under this plan, sex-selective abortion was outlawed, as was prenatal sex diagnosis, and harsher punishments were implemented for violating both. Other policies include controlling the marketing of ultrasonic B machines and improving the systems used by medical and Family Planning organisations to report on births, abortions and pregnancies.[15]
On July 4, 2011, the Supreme People's Court promulgated the interpretation on several issues concerning the application of the marriage law of the People's Republic of China.[3] Article 9 stipulates that the People's Court generally does not support a husband's claim for damages on the ground that his wife's termination of pregnancy without authorization infringes his right to bear children, except in special circumstances. If a dispute arises between the husband and the wife over whether or not to have children, resulting in a real breakdown of their feelings, and one party requests a divorce, the people's court shall, after mediation, invalidate it, and deal with it in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 3 (5) of Article 32 of the marriage law.[16]
Family planning
editAbortions as an important family planning tool through the extensive implementation of medical abortions utilizing pills, which can be performed in early pregnancy, in China. Such abortions were legalized in 1988, earlier than any other country and had already been produced on a large scale in China for many years. Medical historians are unclear whether the efficiency of the procedure reaches the high success rates it has in many western countries. The procedure has been highly promoted by Chinese doctors[17] and is advertised as being much less invasive than surgical abortion.[18]
References
edit- ^ "Abortion confusion". ActNow. 2008-11-04. Archived from the original on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- ^ Hesketh, Therese . Lu, Li. Xing, Zhu Wei, Sept 2005, "The Effect of China’s One-Child Family Policy After 25 Years", The New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 353, Iss. 11. Retrieved 5 Dec 2011.
- ^ a b c Tian, Yan-xia; Jian, Pei-min (March 2007). "Textual Research On Abortion In Ancient China". Medicine & Philosophy (Humanistic & Social Medicine Edition). 3 – via Baidu Library.
- ^ "关于将禁止堕胎写入法律的提案 - 百度文库 (Proposal for the inclusion of a ban on abortion in the law)". Baidu Library. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d e f Jing-Bao, Nie. Behind the Silence: Chinese Voices on Abortion Lanham, ML: Rowman & Litterfield Publishers, 2005.
- ^ a b Report: China aborts 13 million babies a year". Burlington, Vermont: Burlington Free Press. 31 July 2009. pp. 2A.
- ^ Garner, Paul. Qian, Xu. Tang, Shenglan, Jan 2004, “Unintended Pregnancy and Induced Abortion Among Unmarried Women in China: A Systematic Review,” BMC Health Services Research, Bio Med Central, p. 3.
- ^ Junhong, Chu, June 2001, “Prenatal Sex Determination and Sex-Selective Abortion in Rural Central China,” Population and Development Review, Vol. 27, Iss. 2, p. 264. Retrieved 3 Sept 2010.
- ^ Nie, Jing-Bao. Feb 2010, “Limits of State Intervention in Sex-Selective Abortion: The Case of China,” Culture, Health and Sexuality, Vol. 12, Iss. 2, p. 206. Retrieved 3 Sept 2010.
- ^ Nie, Jing-Bao. Feb 2010, “Limits of State Intervention in Sex-Selective Abortion: The Case of China,” Culture, Health and Sexuality, Vol. 12, Iss. 2, p. 205.
- ^ Junhong, Chu, June 2001, “Prenatal Sex Determination and Sex-Selective Abortion in Rural Central China,” Population and Development Review, Vol. 27, Iss. 2, p. 262.
- ^ a b Hesketh, Therese . Lu, Li. Xing, Zhu Wei, Sept 2005, “The Effect of China’s One-Child Family Policy After 25 Years, The New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 353, Iss. 11.
- ^ Junhong, Chu, June 2001, “Prenatal Sex Determination and Sex-Selective Abortion in Rural Central China,” Population and Development Review, Vol. 27, Iss. 2, p. 267.
- ^ Xiangcao, Xiaowanzi (December 2015). "中国对待堕胎问题的思想变迁 - 百度文库 ("The ideological change of abortion in China")". Baidu Library. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Nie, Jing-Bao. Feb 2010, “Limits of State Intervention in Sex-Selective Abortion: The Case of China,” Culture, Health and Sexuality, Vol. 12, Iss. 2, p. 207.
- ^ "Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China (Chinese and English Text)". Congressional-Executive Commission on China. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Medical Abortions in China - A Long Lasting Love Affair, Thinking Chinese, March 2011
- ^ Hongxia, Liang (August 2017). "Evaluation and Reflection on the legislation of restricting women's abortion in China". Presentday Law Science. 15 (4).